


Trick Question

by GreenNebulae



Series: Hatch [2]
Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Gen, science talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenNebulae/pseuds/GreenNebulae
Summary: “What came first: the chicken or the egg?” Amy opens her mouth to answer but pauses. She slowly puts the milk in the cart.“I have a feeling this is a trick question. If it is what came first in your statement it's the chicken, if it's a general evolutionary question I'm happy to see you interested"





	Trick Question

“I have some shopping to do today, and I remembered you saying you did too.” Penny opens as she slips her sneakers on.  
“That’s correct. I’m heading over to the store in a bit.”  
“Want to grab lunch while we’re in the area? I’m on my way to the Greek place now, so you could meet me there if you’re free?” Penny grabs her keys and wallet off the table and makes her way to the door. Turns out Amy is free and they grab lunch together. They end up engaged in their gossip and move the trip to the grocery store. 

“What do you think about people evolving?”  
“I doubt it will happen. I know anything is possible, but at the rate we are going, we may see a mass extinction event before enough time passes for us to evolve.”  
“Really?” Penny asks, “you don’t think there’s anyone alive today that’s more advanced than the rest?”  
“Hardly more advanced. It would have to be something useful to one person, but also different enough that people without it die.”  
“So they can’t have babies.”  
“Right. But as a people, natural selection really doesn’t matter anymore. We select the animals that live, die, and breed. We constantly push the limit on what people can recover from, and how long they live. How can evolution shape us if we’ve taken away its tools?”  
“Survival of the fittest?” She asks, parroting Sheldon from earlier. Amy shakes her head.  
“When people first started, we were killed by many things. That doesn’t happen anymore. Being slow and stupid doesn’t mean you die anymore; disabilities can be lived with and anyone who is outside normal is ostracized and much less likely to find a mating partner. ” Huh, sounds like Sheldon, but he has Amy now. Or rather, had? It’s confusing.

They fall into silence.

“Amy, I have a question for you,” Penny breaks the silence as she grabs a dozen eggs from the shelf. Amy grins from the dairy aisle where she picks up some milk.  
“Fire away.” Is it a fair question if Sheldon already told her the answer? She grabs a stick of butter.  
“What came first: the chicken or the egg?” Amy opens her mouth to answer but pauses. She slowly puts the milk in the cart.  
“I have a feeling this is a trick question. If it is what came first in your statement it's the chicken, if it's a general evolutionary question I'm happy to see you interested and it's the egg.”  
“Egg?” Penny questions. What about Sheldon's genome? She grabs more groceries as they continue talking.  
“Yes, everything is in the egg, so it's first.”  
“Okay, I feel like you are just making that up. It’s supposed to be an unanswerable question!”  
“Maybe, if you don’t know anything about evolution.” Amy insists. “but it’s obviously the egg.”  
“But it isn't actually anything until it hatches.” Penny counters, that’s what Sheldon had said. Basically, the goop is just goop until it’s a chicken, the mistake in the goop causes the change.  
“It’s everything it needs to be.”  
“No,” Penny counters, “Because you're not allowed to eat certain things when your pregnant because it effects the baby. Why is it different here?” Penny actually smiles. That was good.  
“Because the chicken is not pregnant, it laid the egg.”  
“Oh... right.” Penny pauses. “But then wouldn't it be the same before it was laid, in its parents?”  
“No.” Amy turns away and Penny takes a few quick steps to catch up to her.  
“When's your line in the sand then?”  
“When it's fertilized” obviously “at conception.” Penny waves her hands around  
“Why there?”  
“That's where the unique organism begins” Amy shrugs.  
“So life begins at conception?” Penny clarifies.  
“Hoo! I'll avoid that topic of discussion, thank you.” Amy regroups “if the egg has everything the chicken will eventually grow into, than it is complete on its own. If the chicken is mutated, then it's only because the egg was.”  
“That makes sense I guess.” It did. What did Sheldon say? She did tell him to KISS. Maybe he should be here talking to Amy.  
“Furthermore, the chicken is first made in the combination of its parents genes in the egg, so to argue the chicken is first is entirely false based on logic and completely ridiculous!” Penny laughs. “Did I say something funny?”  
“I think you should talk to Sheldon about this.” Amy frowns.  
“I should?”

That'll be good. She should get some popcorn. 

“Does that mean he disagrees with me?” Penny doesn't answer as she moves over to the aisle that has the microwavable popcorn.  
“Butter and salted, or just butter?”  
“Salted, obviously,” Amy answers, “but back to Sheldon. He thinks the chicken came first?” She sounds scandalized.  
“I didn't say that.”  
“You didn't NOT say it.”  
“I should watch my salt intake, though”  
“You're not answering me, Penny”  
“I don't have the answer,” Penny grabs a box, “I'm just saying it's an interesting topic,” Amy narrows her eyes.  
“He's a physicist anyway, what would he know of biology?” Penny says nothing as they head to check out. “The chicken? Ridiculous!” Amy suddenly exclaims and Penny bursts into laughter.


End file.
